The rise and fall of Dharmendra Pradhan: BJP’s trusted organiser undone by NEET leak

Active in party organisation, Pradhan became the president of the party’s youth wing in 2001, and was elevated as national secretary in 2002. (file) Dharmendra Pradhan (57), who resigned amid pressure over NEET paper leak on Saturday, had, over the past few years, emerged as one of the BJP’s most durable central leaders: an organiser first, a minister second, and a political manager who has remained close to the party’s top decision-makers. He is also among the few Odias who have made a mark in national politics and wield influence across India. Born on June 26, 1969 into a political family, Pradhan was deeply involved in the RSS’s socio-cultural activities since childhood. His father Debendra Pradhan, a doctor, was a prominent BJP leader in Odisha, who became the Union minister in the Ata